


Tale of a Royal Pain and a Thieving Jerk

by Namixart



Series: Pirate AU [2]
Category: Final Fantasy IV, Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
Genre: Blood and Violence, Everything is mild, F/M, Mild Language, Pirate AU, can be read on its own but check out until we meet again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2019-06-26 11:29:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15662343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Namixart/pseuds/Namixart
Summary: On a mission to save Queen Rosa, Edge and his crew have to battle time, monsters and Golbez's forces. It should be obvious that he has enough on his plate without adding a stubborn stowaway princess, right? Clearly not.





	1. Chapter 1

"Come on, Edge! You want this to take all day?" huffed Palom, holding onto the rock wall with one hand.

Well, Leonora's Float spell was probably helping a bit.

"I don't see _you_ carrying a big chest around, you useless brat. Shut up and climb!" replied Edge, dangling said big chest over Palom's head to further his point.

The young mage huffed again and kept climbing.

After a few minutes of silence, Palom spoke up again.

"Hey, I see a light! We're almost there!"

Edge let out a sigh of relief and shouted:

"Hey! Gekkou! Izayoi! We could use a little help here!"

There was no answer. Edge and Palom shared a wary look.

As the end of the hole drew closer, the breeze was getting fresher and cleaner, a welcomed change from the dead air of the Underworld. Edge looked down at the chest, which was getting really heavy now.

Sure, treasure hunting in the Underworld was a sure-fire score and that illegal tunnel they had found near the actual entrance was a godsend, but was it really worth hours of dangerous free climbing up a narrow vertical path? The jewels in the chest clinked gently. Yes. Absolutely worth it.

The opening was now within centimetres. With a sudden surge of energy, Edge threw the chest out on the grass, before lifting himself out of the hole. He turned to help Palom out, but suddenly he heard a metallic noise behind him.

He sprung into a defensive position, only to see a ring of Baron soldiers circling him. Izayoi and Gekkou were knocked out and handcuffed nearby.

There was no way out of there and they were badly outnumbered. Edge slowly lifted his hands up.

"H-hey! What's with the hold-up? Help me ou-" Palom snapped, poking his head out of the hole.

He shut up the second he registered the situation and tried to dive back down, but one of the guards caught him before he had a chance to.

Edge cursed under his breath.

 

 

In Edge's experience, being caught around illegal areas didn't warrant kidnapping an entire crew. Even if Izayoi kept claiming that they were being _arrested_ , Edge knew better.

“For starters, a fine would have been more than enough for what we were doing. _Or_ they could have brought us to the local authority, which would be Agart. But _Baron_? Something's not right here.”

Izayoi huffed and nuzzled closer to the cell's wall to get more comfortable.

“Whatever you say. Hey, maybe your parents found you and they asked Baron for help.”

Edge just stared at her with the blankest expression on his face. Izayoi chuckled under her breath.

“Relax. It's gonna be okay. Now get some rest. Tomorrow's gonna be harsh.”

 

 

Edge had never really liked Baron. It all seemed a little too stuck-up and formal for his taste. Even as they were being brought to their cells the soldiers were rigorously lined up and synchronized while they marched.

In Eblan, Edge thought a bit wistfully, the visible guards would have been a lot fewer – maybe two, whereas now there were ten – but there would have been plenty more hiding in the shadows.

They spent the rest of the day locked up and bored out of their minds. When a distant bell rang the sixth hour in the evening, the door to the prisons opened.

Edge didn't get up from his lying position, but he tensed up and glanced warily towards the corridor.

A tall shadow was approaching, walking with no hurry whatsoever. They even exchanged a few muffled words with the other members of the crew before moving on. Edge held his breath.

The figure stopped just outside Edge's cell but out of his line of sight.

“Captain Edward, may I speak with you?” a man's voice asked.

Edge shot up.

“ _What_ did you just call me?” he glared at the shadow.

The man chuckled.

“Sorry, sorry. That young mage told me that was your name. I suppose I was tricked, huh?”

Edge huffed. _Palom._

“Oh, I'm sorry. I haven't introduced myself.” the man continued.

He stepped into the light of the torch on the wall. He had long silver hair and pale complexion. He was tall and built like a warrior, but his shoulders were slightly hunched, as if he was carrying the weight of the world.

“I'm King Cecil.” he said.

“King, huh?” Edge commented, plopping back down on the bed, hands behind his head and eyes closed.

The king hummed in confirmation.

“So, may I ask what I should call you?”

“Edge's fine” he mumbled.

“Would you like to join me and my sister for dinner, Captain Edge?” the king asked.

Edge stared at him with a perplexed look.

“ _Dinner._ ”

“Yes.”

“I'm a dangerous pirate.”

“I know.”

“I could slit your throat right now and you wouldn't notice.”

“I trust that you won't.”

“And your sister's.”

The king burst out laughing.

“I highly doubt she'd let you get that far.” he chuckled.

Edge blinked. King Cecil collected himself and looked at him.

“So, will you be joining us?”

Edge huffed and shrugged.

“Okay, sure, whatever. I'll be there.”

The king smiled and bowed his head a little.

“Thank you. I'll send someone when it's time. You'll excuse me for leaving you and your men here but...”

“Yeah, I get it. Don't worry about it.” the pirate said, waving a hand.

“Right. I'll see you later.” King Cecil said, turning on his heels.

When he left the room, Edge heard Palom's voice coming from the next cell.

“Weird guy.”

“You said it.” Edge agreed.

 

 

Right on the strike of the eighth hour the prison door opened again. A single guard walked in, a tall man in full Dragoon armour, and marched straight to Edge's cell.

“You, pirate. Come with me.” he said stiffly.

“What, no _if you please_?”

“Now.”

“Jeez, talk about a stick in the mud.” Edge sighed, getting up.

The Dragoon's eyes narrowed behind the helmet, but he didn't rise to the bait. He got Edge out of his cell and headed to the exit without a word.

Edge shared a glance with Izayoi when he passed her cell, but otherwise kept his eyes trained on the back of the guard's head for the duration of the walk. The guy wasn't much company anyway.

The Dragoon stopped in front of a door near the throne room.

“The king and the princess are waiting.” he said.

Edge shot him a wary glance and stepped into the room.

It was small and cosy, definitely not what he would have expected from a kingdom like Baron. King Cecil was pacing in front of the fireplace and he looked worried about something.

Edge cleared his throat.

The king turned around and smiled warmly at him.

“Ah, Edge, welcome. Please, have a seat. My sister should be here any minute now.”

Edge nodded and sat down on a very comfortable chair to the left of the king's spot, whose seat was more decorated than the others.

They spent a couple of minutes in complete silence. Just as Edge was about to ask just _where the hell the princess was_ , the door slammed open and a girl rushed inside, panting.

She was short and petite, and her emerald mane framed her figure, making her look even smaller. When she looked up, Edge saw that she had blue eyes and light freckles were sprinkled over the bridge of her nose.

He made an appreciative hum.

King Cecil sighed and walked over to her.

“Captain Edge, let me introduce you to my sister, Rydia.”

The girl did a small curtsy, slightly narrowing her eyes as she scanned Edge from head to toe. Her attitude wasn't lost on Edge, who just barely bowed his head. She glared at him.

Edge glared back. Two could play at this game.

King Cecil picked up on the tension instantly, and proceeded to steer the princess towards her seat, which just so happened to be directly in front of Edge's.

When the king finally sat down, Edge relaxed his posture a little bit. He could still hear the Seneschal's voice in his head, telling him that one should always show confidence in a tight situation.

The king spoke up.

“You'll excuse me for going straight to the point.” he started, “I need your help.”

Edge raised an eyebrow.

“My help? For what?”

King Cecil sighed.

“I'm in a terrible bind right now. My wife, Queen Rosa, has been kidnapped by a man named Golbez, who calls himself a 'sea lord'. Do you know what it means?”

Edge blinked.

“He commands a fleet. It's the pirate equivalent of a commodore, or something like that.”

The king nodded.

“You see,” the king continued “he said he'll return her in exchange for complete control over the Baron Navy. I can't let him have his way, but if I try to rescue Rosa, they'll just kill her. So-”

“Let me guess.” Edge cut him off “You want me to go in and save her, right?”

The king sighed again.

“Well... yes and no. One of my men used to be in that fleet and, according to him, Golbez's end goal is to acquire the Crystals of the surface and of the Underworld. They used to be kept safe by different kingdoms, but now every nation is responsible for them, and they are hidden away. I think we can use one of the Crystals to bargain for Rosa's freedom. Then, when she's out of danger, we can attack and retrieve the Crystal.” he explained.

Edge crossed his arms over his chest.

“So my job is to get the Crystal, bring it to Golbez and bring the queen back, right?”

“Yes.”

“I have one question, though. Why not send Baron's navy? Wouldn't they be more qualified than a bunch of pirates?”

King Cecil chuckled.

“I hope to pass this off as you taking Rosa from Golbez of your own volition, so he won't expect our attack and won't use her as a shield. This operation needs to be carried out quickly and discreetly and, as the crown prince of Eblan, I believe stealth is second nature for you, no?”

Edge gaped.

“You... I'm not... _How do you know_?” he growled.

King Cecil laughed.

“Eblanese features and accent are very recognizable. Moreover, the crown prince vanishes overnight and suddenly an Eblanese pirate captain appears out of nowhere. More than a little suspicious, don't you agree? Don't worry” he added, seeing Edge's face “I won't tell your parents anything you don't want me to.”

Edge nodded, not completely relieved.

“So, back to our discussion. Will you go?” the King asked, finally letting a shadow of anxiety cloud his face.

“I will, at one condition. We are to be forgiven for each and every illegal action we are accused of.”

King Cecil blinked.

“Well, of course. I was going to do that anyway, but I thought you'd want a more... physical payment?”

Edge shrugged.

“Freedom will be enough. I'm not the kinda guy who would take advantage of a situation like this.”

Edge could feel Princess Rydia's eyes digging a hole in his skull, clearly waiting for a slip-up. He huffed and turned to her.

“If you're so doubtful, sweetheart, you could go in my place, y'know?” he snapped.

Her cheeks reddened a little and she turned to her brother.

“That's what _I_ 've been suggesting since Rosa disappeared. But did _someone_ listen?” she spat, looking pointedly at the king.

He sighed.

“Rydia, please. We've been over this.”

She stood up and slammed her hands on the table.

“You're trusting a _criminal_ with your wife's life! What's stopping him from taking the Crystal and be on his merry way?”

“Hey now, sweetheart, I prefer the definition 'treasure hunter', if you don't mind.” Edge interjected.

The girl glared at him.

“You are nothing but a thief, and I will _not_ leave Rosa at your mercy.” she snapped.

She didn't spare a single glance for him as she stormed out of the room.

There was a moment of silence.

“She is _nothing_ like you.” Edge commented.

King Cecil sighed.

 

 

“Oh, man, it's been _ages_ since I've seen a mat this comfortable!” exclaimed Palom, sprawled on his bed in the room King Cecil had assigned them.

Edge chuckled under his breath.

“So,” Gekkou started “what now?”

“Well...” Edge lay down, hands behind his head “we rescue the queen, of course”

“Are you actually gonna go through with that?” piped up Palom.

Edge huffed.

“When have you _ever_ seen me not keep my word?”

Palom hummed pensively.

“I dunno. Aren't you supposed to be sitting on a throne right now?”

Edge muttered something.

Then, Palom shot up with a small squeal.

“Edge! Ice down my shirt? Really!?” he shouted.

His captain snickered and rolled over onto his side, while Gekkou and Zangetsu held Palom back.

“To answer your question, yes. We are going to go through with it.” he said.

“Now go to sleep. We need to prepare for the voyage.”

 

 

It was barely dawn when the _Aurora_ left Baron's harbour. Edge yawned and skimmed over King Cecil's notes again. First, they had to meet the King’s agents in Fabul to get the Crystal’s location, then they would head to the sea lord's base on Chocobo Island, a small patch of land between Damcyan and Troia.

“We'll reach Mysidia in about three days, Young Master.” said Zangetsu, nearing Edge.

Edge nodded.

“Okay. We'll stop there for supplies, then we'll go to Fabul. There shouldn't be any problems.” he yawned again.

Zangetsu nodded pensively.

Edge sat down at the desk, with his head resting on one hand. He stared into the void, trying not to fall asleep. He hated early morning departures.

After his third yawn, Zangetsu looked up from his charts and gave him a soft smile

“You should get some rest, Young Master. The journey to Mysidia will be on calm seas, we can handle ourselves without you for a few hours. Plus, you stayed up all night again, didn't you?”

Edge ran a hand through his hair and smiled sheepishly. He really needed to do something about his insomnia.

The older man smiled again.

“Go. We'll wake you if we need you.”

“Thank you, Zangetsu. I'll see you later.” said Edge, turning around.

He made his way towards his cabin, waving slightly at Leonora when he walked past her.

She turned to him with a worried look.

“I'm fine, just need some sleep.” he interjected before she could say anything.

Leonora nodded.

“Let me know if you need something.” she said.

Edge made an affirmative noise and walked inside his cabin, dragging his feet tiredly.

He yawned again. He moved towards the cot, very much looking forward to a nap, then he heard it.

Now, if he hadn't been trained since he was a kid to listen and pick up even the quietest noise, the muffled shuffling sound would have gone unnoticed.

Edge, completely awake now, walked to the cot and sat down, making sure that the mattress would creak audibly. He waited. After a few seconds there was a hiss, as if someone had released their breath after a few moments.

Edge's eyes bore into the trapdoor on the wall. There _was_ someone there.

He got up and walked over in complete silence. He could hear the breath of the stowaway from inside the hatch.

He counted to three in his head, then threw open the trapdoor, swords unsheathed and ready to fight.

The intruder crashed onto the ground with a small yelp. Edge stopped.

'A girl?'

She looked up to him and glared, her blue eyes defiant despite the situation.

Edge stared at her.

“ _You_?!” he exclaimed.

The princess of Baron stood up, clad in a dark mantle, and crossed her arms over her chest, still glaring.

“When did you- How- _What the hell are_ you _doing here?_ ” Edge wheezed, still shocked.

The princess snorted.

“I said so yesterday. I'm not going to risk losing Rosa because of you.” she said, turning away from him.

Edge closed his eyes and counted to ten. When he opened them, he caught a glimpse of the girl's worried expression before she collected herself.

“So… you stowed away on my ship because...?” he said slowly, narrowing his eyes.

“I'm making sure you get that Crystal to Golbez. Or I'll do it myself.” she replied, without missing a beat.

Edge hummed skeptically.

“How do you plan to do that?” he asked.

She shot him an odd look.

“I have my ways. I'm not a helpless kid.” she said, lowering her voice.

How she managed to make her soft, melodious voice sound menacing was beyond Edge. Whatever.

“Whatever. You're going home as soon as we stop in Mysidia. Don't get comfy.” he said, sheathing his swords.

The princess glared at him.

“Don't. You. _Dare_.” she growled.

Edge dismissed her with a wave and gestured for her to follow him.

With a last, wistful glance to his cot, Edge walked on the deck, princess in tow.

He skilfully ignored his crewmates' perplexed looks and walked straight to his destination.

“Leonora,” he called “do you have a sec?”

The girl looked up from her magic scrolls and cocked her head to the side questioningly.

“We have a...” he glared at the princess, who ignored him “stowaway situation. Since I'm a decent person I won't throw her in the ship's hold. Can you show her to your cabin?”

Leonora nodded and stood up. She held out a hand to the princess and smiled.

“I'm Leonora, nice to meet you.”

Edge huffed at her manners. So unbecoming of a pirate. The princess, on the other hand, was completely taken aback by her kindness and shook her hand with a large smile on her face.

“Rydia. Nice to meet you too.” she chirped.

Edge groaned as Leonora led the other girl away. When he turned back his eyes met Palom's.

“What was that about? Who's that girl?”

Edge sighed.

“Trouble.”

 

 

After tossing and turning in his cot for hours, Edge sighed and conceded that he wasn't going to get any sleep that night either.

He got up and took a deep breath. He glanced at the window. The night was starry and peaceful, like the sea under the _Aurora_.

Edge took his coat with him and walked out of his cabin, on deck. He turned to the helm, and found it gently rotating on its own, probably thanks to the Safe Travel spell they had bought in Baron.

Edge yawned. So, there was no one to talk to. He was about to go back to not sleeping when he heard soft breathing coming from behind him.

Edge turned around and spotted the princess on the quarterdeck, leaning on the railing. He huffed, ready to go back to his cabin, but she seemed to hear something and spun around, startled.

When her alarmed eyes landed on him, her expression immediately shifted to one of annoyance.

"Oh. It's just you." she mumbled.

She glared at him and returned to her previous occupation.

Edge, irked at her disdain - _hers!_ Like _he_ had been the one to stow away on _her_ ship -, stalked up the stairs and hopped on the railing out of pure spite, a short distance from the princess.

She eyed him suspiciously for a moment but stayed silent.

Neither of them spoke for a moment, then she huffed again.

"What are you doing here?"

Her words were sharp, but he wasn't sure she had intended her voice to come out so soft.

Edge shrugged.

"Can't sleep. You?"

Damn. That wasn't meant to be this nice either. Night-time and the lack of sleep had a way of softening people, he supposed.

"Me either. I'm not used to not having solid ground under my feet."

Edge hummed in acknowledgement.

Silence fell once again.

The princess shivered and rubbed her arms next to him. Edge glanced at her. She was wearing a light dress, nothing too fancy but certainly not suited to be at sea at night.

"You didn't think this through, did you?" he pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

The princess looked away, a light blush on her cheeks.

"I didn't have much time to pack. I just kind of... ran off."

Edge sighed, shrugging off his coat.

"Figures. That won't do." he said, handing her the jacket.

She eyed it, perplexed, then glanced at Edge's light blouse.

He pushed it in her hands.

"Take it. I have another."

Slowly, she took the coat and slipped it on, with an uncertain expression on her face.

"Thank you." she whispered.

He offered a small smile, but she wasn't looking at him.

She wrapped her arms around herself and sighed happily, enjoying his too-big-for-her warm coat.

Edge closed his eyes to feel the breeze on his face for a moment.

"Why are you being so nice?" there was a shade of uncertainty in her voice.

"Your brother's gonna kill me if I send you back with a fever." he dead-panned "And also there's a slight chance that I might actually be a decent person."

The princess chuckled softly, then turned serious once again.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you the other night. I shouldn't have yelled like that. It's just... I'm worried. And I'm still not sure I can trust you."

She took a deep breath and turned to face him, staring him dead in the eyes.

" _Can_ I trust you?" she asked, barely more than a whisper.

The princess was looking at him with a mixture of wariness and hope on her face, her big blue eyes almost pleading. She _wanted_ him to say yes. Edge wanted to lie.

He wanted to tell her that she could trust him no matter what, that she could rely on him to save the Queen.

But... Could she? Could he assure her that he would save her sister-in-law? Hell, _he_ didn't know whether or not they could pull it off!

"Why are you asking me that? What if I lied? What if I fail?"

She hesitated for a moment. He continued.

"I want to lie and tell you that you can trust me, but the truth is that I don't know." he whispered, never breaking eye contact.

The princess averted her gaze and said nothing for a moment.

"I think I have my answer. Thank you." she said, softly.

And with that she turned away and left him standing there, unsure of what her answer was.

 

 

Edge ended up getting less than three hours of sleep. He was woken up at the crack of dawn by a stupid seagull that had decided to scream its lungs out right outside his window. Edge groaned and buried his face in the pillow, trying desperately to fall back asleep.

Sadly, his body had picked up on its state of wakefulness. Edge groaned again and briefly considered throwing himself overboard. Instead, he settled on throwing a boot at the seagull or, rather, at the closed window that separated them.

He exhaled slowly.

He got up and stumbled towards the door, fumbling with the handle and blindly grabbing a jacket from his cabinet.

He cursed under his breath when he got on deck. It was _way_ too early to be awake.

He yawned and wandered over to the helm, where Leonora was studying her scrolls.

She looked up when she heard his footsteps.

“Good morning, Ed-” she stopped in her tracks when she saw his face.

“You look even worse than usual. Just how much sleep did you get?” she inquired, with a worried expression on her face.

“That was uncalled for. I look criminally handsome when I'm not sleep deprived, thank you very much.” Edge slurred.

Leonora raised an eyebrow. He sighed.

“You're spending too much time with Palom. I got... three hours of sleep? I think?” he muttered, wincing without meeting her gaze.

“This isn't good.”

“Really. Didn't notice. Say, have you found any spell that could help?”

Leonora shook her head.

“There are a few potions, but I don't trust myself _nor_ Palom to brew one without messing up.”

Edge huffed.

“How does Palom not know any stupid sleeping spells?”

“I'm sure he does, but he just likes seeing you walk around like a zombie.” Leonora giggled.

“I'm gonna kill that brat.”

“What brat?” said a new voice.

Edge and Leonora turned around to see the princess climbing up the stairs. The girls waved at each other.

He huffed.

“Not you, surprisingly. Palom's an idiot.”

The princess giggled, fiddling with the sleeves of the coat Edge had given her.

Leonora noticed and shot an odd look at her captain, before turning back to the other girl.

“Rydia, why are you up so early?” she asked.

The princess shrugged.

“No reason. What are you up to?” she smiled.

A small part of Edge's sleep deprived brain thought vaguely that she looked prettier when she smiled. His brain was stupid.

“Trying to get rid of Edge's insomnia. We were thinking maybe there's a spell or something that can help” Leonora answered.

The princess gasped lightly and opened her mouth to reply.

“Actually-”

“Captain! Mysidia in sight!” Tsukinowa shouted from the crow's-nest.

That seemed to snap Edge out of his drowsiness.

“Good. Leonora, go wake up everyone.” he said, taking the helm.

“You and Palom are in charge of medical supplies, Izayoi, Zangetsu and Gekkou will get food and water, Tsukinowa stays here with the ship and I'll look for a ferry.” he listed absent-mindedly.

Leonora nodded and ran off to get the crew.

The princess cocked her head to the side.

“A ferry? What for?” she asked.

Edge glanced briefly at her.

“To send you back to Baron.” he said.

The princess gaped.

“What?!” she snapped.

Edge glared at her.

“Don't shout, I already have a headache. And what, did you think I wasn't serious when I told you I'd send you back home as soon as we got here? You'd be a nuisance and I don't want to have to keep an eye out for you.”

“Are you kidding me? You don't know that! You know _nothing_ about me!” she muttered.

“I know you're going to go pack up. Right. Now.” Edge growled slowly.

The princess glared at him, then slowly raised a hand to his face's level.

“You want to sleep? Fine.” she said, eerily calm.

Before Edge could ask her just what _the hell_ she meant, the girl whispered something under her breath and his vision went black.

 

 

"She's a mage!"

Edge shot up from his cot, where some merciful soul had moved him after the princess' stunt.

Zangetsu was sitting next to him, with a concerned expression on his face.

"Your Young High- Captain, you should be resting..." he tried, but Edge was already scrambling out of bed and out of his cabin.

"Oh, I've rested _enough_."

He ran on deck and found himself almost slamming into someone. He was about to apologize when he realized who it was.

 _"You're a mage!"_ he spat, close enough to force her to crane her neck up to look at him.

She took a step back but didn't drop her gaze.

"I _did_ tell you I wasn't a helpless little girl. But did you listen?"

Edge made a frustrated noise and broke eye contact for a moment to take a look around. They were in the middle of the ocean, and Mysidia was nowhere to be seen.

"Where _the hell_ are we? And why are _you_ still here?" he exclaimed, pointing his index finger at the princess' face.

She swatted it away, annoyed.

"On our way to Mythril. I'm in this until we find Rosa, get over it." she said, huffing and glaring.

Edge closed his eyes and counted to ten.

“When we get to Mythril, you're going back home. That's a promise, _princess._ ” he spat the title out with as much disgust as he could muster.

She shot him an unimpressed look.

“Keep dreaming.” she said flatly.

With that, she turned on her heels and walked off.

Edge hurried after her.

“Look, I'm just trying to be a responsible adult here!” he exclaimed.

The princess ignored him. He grabbed her shoulders to force her to look at him.

“Say, what if you get hurt, what if you _die_? What do you expect me to say to your brother, huh?”

The girl glared at him. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again Edge had to gather all of his willpower not to release his grip on her shoulders.

“You have _no_ idea what I am capable of. Don't think even for a _second_ that I was raised a pampered princess, because I wasn’t, and I _will_ see this journey through, no matter the cost. Am I clear?” she hissed, narrowing her eyes to slits.

Edge was about to reply that _yeah, no, she was going home as soon as they reached Mythril_ , but suddenly something hit the starboard side of the ship, sending them both on the ground.

“What the- Tsukinowa!” Edge yelled.

The boy leaned over the railing of the crow's-nest, a terrified expression on his face.

“C-Captain, it's a-” he stammered.

Edge's body reacted faster than his brain did when he saw a tall shadow loom over them and shoved the princess to the side. A massive tentacle crashed on the deck, right where she'd been a second before.

He shot up and sent a lightning bolt through it. The tentacle twitched for a second and plummeted right back into the water. Edge ran up to the princess and grabbed her wrist, helping her to her feet.

“Get inside my cabin and lock yourself inside!” he ordered, drawing his swords.

She shook him off.

“I can help!” she growled.

“ _Rydia, please!_ ” he hissed.

She stopped in her tracks for a second.

“No.”

And with that, she was off. Edge watched her run up on the quarterdeck and take a fighting stance, electricity crackling in her hands.

He shook his head and focused on the water. _Something_ was under the ship and was gurgling its disapproval of being electrocuted. Edge took a deep breath. Let it come.

However, when the creature finally rose from the water, he nearly dropped his swords.

Everything he registered about the Kraken came in disjointed thoughts as he sprung into action.

 _Tentacles bigger than the mast_ , when he slid under one of them and sliced open a large gash that had the creature barely twitch.

 _Too many teeth,_ when the Kraken made a horrible noise after another Blitz spell.

 _Really foul stench,_ when a whiff of that smell threatened to make him puke right on the spot.

Edge ducked to avoid a tentacle when it flew over his head and coiled itself around the mast. With a snarl, he sliced the tip clean off. The tentacle swatted him away like a fly and he crashed against the helm a short distance away. He spat out a lump of blood and shot up, only to be hit again and be sent smashing against someone.

Rydia collapsed under his weight with a surprised squeal. Still a bit shaken, Edge looked up to see a jolt of lightning hit the tentacle.

The princess shook him off and spun around to freeze a block of water around the Kraken's head.

Edge jumped forward and struck one of his swords deep into its flesh, pinning the tentacle to the deck. He jumped and threw a shuriken into the monster's eye. When it connected, the creature screeched and began to flail its tentacles around.

Edge was sent flying again.

“This is... getting really old...” he panted, trying to get up.

He coughed blood into his hand again, every spasm sending a jolt of pain through his body. He gingerly touched his side. He had at least two bruised, if not broken, ribs.

He looked up. He was face to face with the Kraken, its many rows of teeth clicking against each other.

Edge swallowed and tried to get up.

Then too many things happened at once.

He charged towards the monster. It lunged forward. Leonora screamed somewhere behind him. Edge closed his eyes.

When he didn't feel the monster's teeth closing around him, he snuck a glance at the scene.

The Kraken was still twitching from the two powerful lightning bolts that had shot through it at the same time, then it was engulfed in a white-hot beam of energy.

Edge was pinned in place, watching the monster squirm and writhe in agony. It only lasted a few seconds, but when the creature stopped moving and sunk into the depths of the sea it felt an eternity had passed.

When the light dissolved, Edge turned around. A few meters away from the stern there was something.

A massive dragon, with an aura of power such as Edge had never seen. His very _soul_ felt small before that ancient creature. He couldn't even find the will to grip his swords tighter. Palom, whose rod fell clattering to the ground, seemed of a similar mind.

The dragon slowly lowered itself to the level of the ship. On the stern stood the princess.

“ _Rydia!_ ” Edge somehow found the voice to shout her name.

He prayed to the Crystals for her to run, to get to safety. But she turned to him, no hint of fear on her face, and smiled, bright and reassuring.

Edge stopped running even though he hadn't realized he had started.

Rydia faced the dragon. She bowed deeply at the same time the creature nodded.

Then, it disappeared in a cascade of silver dust.

“Thank you.” she said to the empty air.

There was a moment of silence.

Rydia sighed and knelt down, breathing heavily. Edge released the breath he'd been holding and slowly made his way up the stairs to reach the silent girl.

He stopped a few steps behind her, wondering how he should phrase the many, many questions in his head.

 _“What the hell was that_?”

Nailed it.

She sighed again, standing up and dusting debris off her dress. Without turning around, she whispered reverently:

“Bahamut, Hallowed Father of the Eidolons.”

Edge stared at the silver dust glowing on top of the waves.

“Eidolons? But-”

“Never mind!” Rydia interrupted him, suddenly turning to him with an unreadable expression on her face.

“We need to make sure everyone's okay!” she exclaimed.

Edge furrowed his brows a little.

“Yeah. You're right.”

 

 

Predictably, the only one that had been seriously injured in the battle was Edge, sporting two bruised ribs, a broken one, a mild concussion and a sprained ankle he hadn't even noticed in the heat of the moment.

Bedridden (forcefully, as Izayoi “really didn't need Edge being even more of a dead weight on deck than usual”) and bored out of his mind, he welcomed Palom into his cabin to chat a bit.

The young mage sat down on a stool near the bed and chuckled benevolently, seeing Edge's grumpy expression.

“Relax.”, he said, “Leonora's good. You'll be right as rain come morning.”

Edge huffed.

“How come none of you got even a scratch while I'm stuck here?”

“'Cause none of us is dumb enough to just charge at a Kraken. Multiple times.” Palom dead-panned.

“Although, maybe we do need to thank you. Who would've thought a ninja could make such a great distraction?”

Edge stuck his tongue out at him.

“Anyway, something's been bothering me.” the boy said, suddenly turning thoughtful.

“I know this is a heavily trafficked commercial route, but we really should've at least seen one of Golbez's ships, don't you think? I can't shake off the feeling that he knows we're going to lead him right to the Crystal.” he said.

Edge nodded.

“I don't like this. Our crew is far too small to handle any attack from Golbez.” Palom continued.

“You know I chose quality over quantity.”

“Of course you did. I mean, you have the best mage in the world in your crew. But what I'm saying is that, as awesome as I am, we could still be outnumbered. But now I think we have a secret ace to get rid of any troubles Golbez may throw our way...” the mage had a mischievous glint in his eyes that worried Edge a lot.

“What are you talking ab-” his face went pale as the realization dawned on him.

“No. No way in _hell_.”

“We've literally been to hell, Edge, this shouldn't be a pro-”

“Out of the question, Palom. I am _not_ going to put Rydia in any more danger than I already have. I really, _really_ don't want to cross the King of Baron _._ ”

Palom huffed.

“Don't even try that. You and I both know that's not the real reason you want to keep her safe.”

“Beside simple human decency and self-preservation, yeah. What's your point?” Edge blinked.

Palom stared at him for a few seconds, before his mouth stretched into the most _demonic_ grin Edge had ever seen on a fifteen-year-old kid's face.

“Oh? So you _don't..._? Oh, just me then. Oh. Wonderful. This is going to be _amazing_ to watch.” he said, chuckling mischievously.

Edge narrowed his eyes.

“Palom, what-”

“Gotta go now! I have work to do and talking to a dead weight isn't gonna help at all. See ya later!” the boy waved, getting up and shooting out of the cabin.

Edge stared at the door, completely dumbfounded.

“Huh?”

 

 

“Land ho!” cried Tsukinowa the next afternoon.

Edge tossed aside the sail he had been trying to mend for half an hour and stood up, stretching.

It would be nice to walk on solid land for a few hours. They wouldn't be spending a lot of time in Mythril anyway, since all they had to do was pick up some supplies, medicine and ingredients for the sleeping potion Rydia was going to show Leonora how to brew. _Thank the Crystals for Rydia_ , Edge sighed.

He blinked, perplexed, but was distracted from his train of thought by heavy footsteps.

He turned around, already knowing he would see Rydia on the warpath, marching towards him.

Sure enough, there she was, stopping a short distance from him and crossing her arms.

They stayed silent for a few seconds. When she opened her mouth, Edge sighed, resigned.

“Look, Edge, you already know why I'm here, so I'm not going to beat around the bush. I know you want me to get off the ship and hop on the first ferry to Baron, but there is _absolutely no way I'm leaving._ I told you before, I'm in this until the end, and it's not because I don't think you can bring Rosa back, but-”

“You can stay.”

“Of course I am! Also- What?” Rydia stared at him, wide-eyed.

“I said you can stay.” Edge repeated, huffing a little.

The girl fell quiet for a moment.

“You-”

“Look, I still don't like putting you in danger, okay? But you're so _damn_ stubborn, I think nobody can actually stop you from getting into trouble. The best I can do is be there and make sure you get _out_ of it.”

Rydia just kept staring.

“And, yes, I guess I was wrong about you. You can handle yourself a lot better than many trained soldiers probably. So yeah, I decided to let you stay. Besides,” he smiled “you'd just knock me out again if I tried to send you home.”

The next thing he knew, the girl had thrown herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his shoulders.

“Thank you.” came her muffled voice, her lips moving against the base of his neck.

“S-sure.” Edge stammered a bit, still too surprised by her sudden attack to return the hug.

When Rydia pulled away, her eyes were shimmering with what looked like unshed tears.

Edge smiled at her.

“Come on, you're not on a pleasure cruise. Get up on those shrouds and help Izzy reef the sails.” he said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Rydia beamed and nodded vigorously, before shooting off with an:

“Aye, captain!”

Edge huffed benevolently and picked back up the sail, smiling softly.

He could _feel_ Palom's gaze on him, and he lifted his head to see the young mage giving him an expression of pure sarcasm, an eyebrow cocked in disbelief and eyes flicking from him to Rydia and back.

Edge shrugged, puzzled, and got back to sewing. Whatever.

 

 

They docked a couple of hours later.

“Be careful, your Young High- Captain!” shouted Zangetsu from the deck.

Edge waved him off without turning around.

“Will he ever learn?” he muttered absent-mindedly.

“Hey, Edge?” called Rydia, a few steps behind him.

“Hm?” he stopped.

She caught up with him – after all, they were supposed to go buy the ingredients for the potion, and they had to stay together – and watched him for a moment.

“Can I ask you something? It might be a little... personal.” she said, staring at her hands.

Edge sighed.

“Only if you answer a question of mine in return. It might be a little personal.” he smiled.

“Okay.” Rydia smiled back.

“Go on, then. Shoot.”

“Alright. You are the crown prince of Eblan, right? Why did you become a pirate?”

“First off, _treasure hunter._ Second, I need you to tell absolutely no one what I'm about to say.” he lowered his voice, scanning the area.

Rydia nodded seriously.

“Well, I'm not proud of it, not one bit. Last year, a clan that's been trying to overthrow my family's rule kidnapped my little sisters and sent me an ultimatum: the crown prince had to disappear within the night, or else...” he trailed off.

“I hated having to bend to this threat, but Lavinia is ten and Marian only four, I panicked and I didn't know what to do. I ran off with my closest ninjas to buy time and I became a pirate as a way of disguising myself.” he sighed.

“But it's been months now and I'm no closer to finding a solution than I was when I left, the civil war is still tearing Eblan apart and my family thinks I'm dead. I-” Edge cut himself off and took a deep breath.

“Anyway, there's nothing I can do about that right now. Let's move on, shall we?” he said, his cheerfulness sounding fake even to his own ears.

A few moments later, Edge felt Rydia's hand slip in his and give a small, hesitant squeeze. He squeezed back, a grateful smile playing on his lips.

They walked together in silence.

“So,” started Rydia after a little while “what was your question?”

“Oh, that. I was just wondering if you could tell me more about your powers. I mean, how come the Hallowed Father of the Eidolon listens to a young girl?”

Rydia chuckled.

“I'm a Summoner. I can call Eidolons to my aid, but I need to earn their respect before I can use their names.”

“Earn their respect? How do you do that?”

“You challenge them to a fight.”

“No. There is no way. You did not challenge _Bahamut_ to a fight. No way.” Edge said, mouth agape.

She laughed heartily.

“Yes way. I had the help of my other Eidolons, of course, and if Bahamut was ever to use his full power I'm not sure if the planet would survive, but yes. I did challenge Bahamut. I didn't win, but you don't need to, really. As long as you prove your worth, that's all that matters.” she rambled.

Edge stared at her for a long moment.

“What?” she asked, sheepishly.

“That's incredible. _You're_ incredible.” he whispered, with complete honesty.

Rydia blushed a little and waved her hands in front of her.

“Oh, no, really. All it takes is a little bit of determination and, really, Eidolons go easy on you because they just wanna test you, so it's no big deal, really!”

Edge huffed, still baffled.

“Sure, no biggie. So, like, how do you become a Summoner? Could _I_ become one?” he asked, stopping to let some children run by.

Rydia shook her head.

“It's an inherited power. So, unless one of your parents was one, you can't be a Summoner.” she explained.

“Shame.” he said “Neither one of my parents has any affinity with magic. Even my Ninjutsu is mostly self-taught and _wait a second._ Does that mean that King Cecil is a Summoner too?”

Rydia stopped, a nervous smile on her lips.

“What? Is something wrong?”

“No, just- Now it's my turn to ask you to keep what I tell you to yourself.” she said, wrapping her arms around herself.

Edge nodded.

“Cecil's not my brother.”

“ _What?!”_

“Shh! It's true, okay? I was born in a very poor village. One day, under the previous King, Cecil was ordered to deliver a Carnelian Signet to us. But when he arrived, the package exploded and set fire to the entire village. I was just a kid and my mother died that day.” her voice was quiet and her gaze was unfocused, as if she was still seeing the flames in front of her.

Edge reached for her hand.

“When he became King, Cecil took me in as his adopted sister, as a way to atone for what he'd done to Mist.”

Something clicked in Edge's mind.

“Mist? The fire was only a couple of years ago. But you said you were just a kid. That can't be right.”

Rydia sighed.

“It's right. I lost control of my powers that day and I opened a crater to the Underworld, where I met some Eidolons. They brought me with them in the Feymarch, the Land of Summoned Monsters where time flows in a funny way. I spent ten years there, but when I came back, only a couple of months had passed on the surface.”

She fell silent.

“Rydia, I-”

“Don't worry. It's been a long time, it doesn't hurt as much as it used to. Besides, I loved spending time in the Feymarch. The Eidolons are like my second family, you know?” she smiled, shaking her head.

Edge nodded, not entirely convinced.

“Hey, I see the herbal shop over there. Let's go!” she exclaimed, tugging him forward.

Neither one of them seemed to notice or mind the fact that they were still holding hands.


	2. Chapter 2

_Of course_ it had to be a stormy night. Wouldn't want to let Edge sleep for once, would we?

He roughly tugged on a rope, muttering to himself.

Rydia slipped on the deck, a few steps away from him.

Sighing, he walked over and held a hand out for her. She took it, thanking him.

“Go in your cabin, Rydia. There's not much you can do right now. We just need to steer the ship and make sure the sails don't rip. Y'know, sailor stuff.” he smiled.

She shook her head.

“I can learn a thing or two. Besides, it's not like I could sleep with- hey, what's that?”

Edge turned in the direction she was pointing at. There was something in the water.

He walked over to the railing and leaned on it to get a better look at whatever it was.

At the mercy of the waves, a man was holding on to a piece of wood.

“ _Man overboard, starboard side!_ ” he shouted.

In a moment, Gekkou was by his side with two lifelines. Edge tied one around his chest and secured it, before jumping with the other in hand.

The water was freezing. Edge wondered how long the man had been in it. He reached him in a few broad strokes. He was unconscious but alive, if barely breathing. Edge struggled a bit, trying to secure the other lifeline around the man, but he managed to tie it. He tugged on it and watched as Gekkou, Zangetsu and Palom pulled the man to safety. After he was on the ship, it was Edge's turn to be heaved on board.

He panted and shivered as Leonora handed him a blanket.

The man was lying on his back a few steps away, another blanket draped on him. He was shivering, and his face was deathly pale.

“G-get him into my cabin a-and give him some dry clothes.” Edge stammered, gripping the blanket tighter with numb fingers.

Leonora left his side to Float the man and her place was taken by Rydia, who rested a warm hand on his back.

“You should get inside as well.” she said softly.

He nodded and stood up on shaky legs and Rydia gripped his side to steady him. He shot her a grateful smile and started walking.

“And you wanted me to sleep through all this excitement?” she chuckled.

Edge let out a breathy laugh.

As they made their way to the cabin, Edge lifted his gaze to the sea, in the direction the man had come from. There, in the distance, a ship was floating away.

 

 

The man's name was Baigan, but that was all they had managed to learn from him. Leonora had said that there was a possibility he had amnesia, but whether it was temporary or not, she couldn't tell.

Other than his memory loss, he hadn't suffered any serious injuries, so there was no need for him to stay in bed. A couple days after his rescue, Baigan was already up and about, wandering the ship and asking way too many questions about its parts and crew.

The most frequent target of his inquisition was Rydia, who had been unfortunate enough to discuss Eidolons with Palom where Baigan could hear them. Now, the man practically followed her everywhere, bombarding her with hundreds of questions that ranged from innocuous, to tactless, to downright rude.

“Do you need to say the incantation out loud or can you summon with no words?”

“Mages always need to at least whisper the spell, otherwise it can backfire.”

“Is your hair green because of your magic? It's a weird colour, don't you think?”

“I guess... I've never really thought about it?”

“What shape do your monsters take? Any pretty ladies like yourself among them?”

“Uh...”

That was the part where someone, usually Edge or Izayoi, jumped in and called one of the two over for something trivial.

Rydia, every bit the gracious princess she kind of was, answered each question patiently, until they became so uncomfortable that she shot a desperate glance to whoever was closest, begging for help.

Edge didn't like it one bit.

“Does he ever quit?” he mumbled to Palom, as Baigan approached a clearly resigned Rydia on the deck.

The boy snorted.

“Honestly, I don't know why she doesn't just slap him. Although,” he glanced over to Edge “I don't get why _you_ 're so worked up about it. He may be a creep, but he barely remembers his name. I don't think he's a real threat. Besides, Rydia could hand him his butt on a silver platter if it came to it.”

“I know, I know. It just really bothers me. Can't he see that she's uncomfortable?” Edge huffed.

“Oh, look, Leonora's got it.”

Edge looked at the deck again to see the young white mage wave Rydia over with some potions in hand. The girl let out a subtle sigh of relief and nervously smiled at Baigan as she walked away. Before the man could follow her, Gekkou put a hand on his shoulder and gestured to a railing that needed repairs.

While he was being led away, Baigan briefly looked up at where Edge and Palom were standing and shot them a grin that was far too wide to be friendly.

The two exchanged a glance.

“That... didn't look reassuring at all.” Edge said slowly.

“That looked deranged, that's what.” Palom shot back.

Edge turned his gaze back on Baigan, a worried frown on his face.

“At the very least, tomorrow we'll be in Fabul and we'll be able to put him in a healing house or something. I'm really looking forward to getting rid of him.”

 

 

Edge was woken up that night by the toll of a bell, loud and clear, vibrating through him. The sound echoed for a long time. Edge sleepily noted that it was an unusually long toll, but then his eyes snapped open in realization.

He shot upright, a hand on his throat. When he tried to speak, no sound came out.

He mouthed a curse as he scrambled out of bed and out of his cabin. The first thing he saw was Izayoi, standing on the opposite side of the deck and staring viciously at something above his head. He ran forward and turned to see what the target of Izayoi’s anger was. He blanched.

On the quarterdeck Baigan was holding a knife to Rydia's throat. She was on her knees, hands bound behind her back and held tightly by her captor. Despite this, the look she was giving to Baigan could only be described with _murderous_.

Edge clenched his fists, forced to watch as the man dragged the mute girl to the mast and tied her hands to it, all while keeping his knife at hand.

When he was finished, he turned to the crew and broke out in a demented fit of laughter.

“You really are just a bunch of idiots!” he barked.

“Now, you better listen to me closely if you don't want this precious little flower to get _hurt_.” Baigan grinned, lowering his voice to a mellifluous snarl.

He turned to face Rydia and whispered something to her. Edge couldn't see his expression or hear his words, but the look on her face, suddenly shifting from angry to terrified, was enough to send him into a sprint up the stairs.

He ran as fast as he could, but Baigan put the knife on her throat again without even turning around.

“If I were you, I'd stay put.” he said calmly.

Edge gritted his teeth, glancing at Rydia.

There were a million emotions on her face, mainly anger and fear. She looked at him briefly and took a deep breath to steady herself, closing her eyes. When she opened them again, she was still trembling, but the anger was back on her face.

Baigan didn't pay attention to her.

“I know who she is. I know where you're going and what your mission is. I want you to tell me where I can find that Crystal.”

Edge's eyebrows shot up.

“Of course, that's gonna have to wait for when the Silence Bell's effect wears off. You should make sure the armoury's lock isn't so easy to pick next time.” Baigan laughed.

“Now, I'm gonna need you, girlie,” he pointed at Leonora, “to come here. I have some handcuffs with me. You're gonna cuff your captain here to the helm.” he instructed.

When the girl hesitated, he pushed his knife harder against Rydia's throat.

“That was _not_ a suggestion. Get up here, _fast._ ” he growled.

Leonora's eyes went wide open when a droplet of blood slid down Rydia's neck.

Edge heard Leonora's hurried footsteps up the stairs. She took the handcuffs from the floor, trembling, and approached him, terror clear on her face. Edge offered her his hands, trying to reassure her and to buy time to get Rydia the hell out of there.

Baigan waved Leonora away after she'd chained him to the helm. She complied, if hesitantly, and stepped away.

The man got closer to him.

“I have some Echo Herbs here. I'll give you back your voice for a moment and you'd better use that moment to tell me where the Crystal is. Are we clear?”

Edge nodded, trying to suppress the expression on his face.

Baigan took some leaves out of his satchel and shoved them into Edge's mouth, before picking up a small bell from the ground.

He took his sweet time chewing on them and glanced at Rydia. Baigan was a few steps away from her now, and he could see the relief on her face. She smiled at him and it took all his self-control not to smile back.

He swallowed the bitter herb and felt his voice come back to him. He cleared his throat a few times.

“Well? Where is it?” Baigan asked, Silence Bell clutched in hand and clearly getting impatient.

“ _Blitz,_ you damn joke.”

Baigan's surprise barely registered on his face before the lightning strike hit him. He collapsed to the ground without a sound.

Within a second, Izayoi and Tsukinowa were up on the quarterdeck, unchaining him and untying Rydia in the span of a heartbeat. As soon as he was free, he stumbled over Baigan in his hurry to get to Rydia.

He landed on his knees next to her, panting anxiously.

“Are you okay? Did he hurt you? Izzy, the herbs!” he exclaimed frantically, putting his hands on her shoulders.

Rydia chewed on the Echo Herb and cleared her throat, still shaking.

“I'm- I'm okay. I'm okay. Thank you, oh Crystals, thank you, thank you, Edge.” she breathed, leaning her head against his shoulder and letting her hands drop into her lap.

Edge let out a long sigh of relief, stroking lightly her hair. She glanced back. All of his crew was behind him, some chewing on Echo Herbs, some observing the scene.

Palom, crouched over Baigan's body, stood up and kicked him in the ribs.

“Still alive. This _bastard_ , I knew we shouldn't have trusted him.” he growled.

Edge nodded with a wince.

“Gekkou, Zangetsu, take him into the hold and tie him up somewhere, I don't care. Just make sure he's not going anywhere. I have a punch and a few questions for him when he wakes up.”

The two nodded and picked up the man without much care. Edge approved of that.

He turned his attention back to the shivering girl still in his arms.

“Hey, Rydia?” he said softly.

She looked up, eyes glimmering with unshed tears.

“Can you stand? Let's get you inside.” he whispered.

She nodded. She took a deep breath and got up, still trembling.

He led her to his cabin and sat her down on his cot while he got a bottle out of a cupboard. He poured a glass of amber liquid and offered it to Rydia. She took it and gave it a curious look.

“What is it?”

He chuckled.

“Herbal cold tea, to calm your nerves. You're, like, seven, I'm not gonna give you alcohol.”

She laughed.

“I'm nineteen! I should never have told you that.”

She sipped her tea slowly.

“I was so scared.” she admitted softly after a moment.

“I've never felt so helpless in my entire life. If you hadn't been there...” she trailed off.

“I was just as afraid.” Edge told her.

“Because you were right there but I couldn't get to you without that psychopath slitting your throat. To be honest,” he chuckled, “it was just dumb luck that he didn't know of my Ninjutsu. I don't know how we could have gotten you out of there.” he sighed, defeated, and lay down on the cot, an arm over his eyes.

“You could have died. And I would have stood there, useless.”

Rydia turned to him.

“But I'm here. I'm okay. Stop running what-ifs.” she said, putting a hand on his knee.

“You would never let me die.” she added, almost as an afterthought.

Edge's pained expression only worsened.

"How can you be so sure?"

Rydia smiled and reached out to push Edge's arm away from his face.

"I trust you." she said, looking him dead in the eyes.

Edge physically recoiled from her words and gaped like a fish for a few seconds.

When he opened his mouth to reply, she cut him off.

"I trust you." she repeated "Get over it."

Edge averted his gaze.

"You're not safe. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you. I promise I won't let you get hurt, even if it makes you hate me." he whispered.

Rydia smiled, shaking her head.

"I promise I won't get hurt. Even if it kills me."

That got a chuckle out of him.

He ruffled her hair a bit - trying not to think about how soft it was - and smiled back.

"Try not to do that."

 

 

Baigan was still unconscious when Edge and his team - Palom, Leonora and Izayoi - got down to the brig. The man was tied to a post, a magical pentagram drawn on the floor around him to prevent any kind of magic he might have had.

"Just in case." had said Leonora as she finished painting the circle, a few hours earlier.

Edge was about to go shake Baigan awake, when suddenly a large quantity of presumably icy water was poured on his head. The man woke up with a jolt of surprise and swore loudly.

Edge glanced at Palom, who was grinning mischievously, and nodded in approval, before turning back to Baigan.

"So." he begun. "Care to tell me who you really are and what you want?"

The man snorted in disdain.

"So you can kill me afterwards? I think not."

Edge sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Come on. I wouldn't want your ghost haunting my brig. Also, I don't really care for cleaning up blood."

Baigan shrugged in silence, a bored expression on his face. Edge pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Izzy, can you please take over? I'm this close to punching him already."

Izayoi nodded and stood in front of the prisoner, arms crossed and face set in what Edge knew to be her most terrifying expression even without seeing her.

"Listen very carefully. Killing you may not be Edge's style, but I don't have any problems slitting your throat right here and now." she started, voice calm and dangerous.

" _Izzy_." warned Edge.

She ignored him.

"So, suppose you tell us who sent you, since there's no way your stupid brain came up with a plan that almost worked. Suppose you tell us, in this case when we get to Fabul you're going to have a nice little chat with the King's soldiers. In the healing house where you're going to rot because you're a psychopath."

Baigan looked thoroughly unimpressed.

"Now, suppose you don't tell us anything. Should this happen, you're going to spend the rest of eternity in a barrel under the sea, in the company of your own severed limbs. Now, which alternative sounds more attractive to you?" she finished in a sweet voice, like a mother who was scolding a child. Too bad her eyes were still shooting daggers.

Baigan looked over to Edge, raised an eyebrow and started laughing, throwing back his head.

"Nice bluff, girlie. Nice bluff." he snickered.

Edge grabbed Izayoi's shoulder before she could take out her knife and pushed her back.

"Look. We can arrange some kind of bargain here. You tell us what you know and I'll put in a good word for you with the King. I'm sure he'd _love_ to hear how you threatened to murder his beloved little sister."

At least, Edge thought that was the threat. He hadn't liked one bit how terrified Rydia had been. Baigan's smirk wasn't reassuring at all.

He pinched his nose again. He felt a small hand on his shoulder and turned to Leonora.

"This isn't working. Can I talk to you outside?"

Edge nodded. He gestured for Izayoi and Palom to stay with Baigan and followed Leonora on deck.

Rydia and the others were there, waiting. When they emerged, Rydia shot up anxiously, a questioning look on her face. Edge shook his head and she visibly deflated, slumping back on her bench.

Edge had expected her to put up more of a fuss when he'd told her she couldn't come with them to interrogate Baigan. But she'd accepted quietly and that worried Edge to no end.

Leonora turned and sighed deeply.

"Your good soldier and bad soldier routine with Izayoi isn't going to work. We need something else."

Edge sighed.

"I know. But even then, I'm worried he'll just lie." he ran a hand over his face.

Leonora perked up a bit at that.

"That's not a problem. I... didn't really want to do this, but I know a spell that can force him to tell the truth. But he still needs to talk of his own volition and it's going to take a lot of magic on my part. So, I think it's best if we only use it when we're sure he'll talk."

"That would be incredible, but the talking part is still a problem." commented Edge, crossing his arms.

"Actually..."

They both turned towards Rydia, who was timidly holding up a hand.

"I think... I can help." she offered in a small voice.

"Rydia, I can't ask you to-"

"I know," she cut him off "that's why I'm offering. Just... bring him here." she said, standing up straight.

Edge eyed her dubiously, but she was already walking towards the railing.

He nodded at Leonora and hurried back to the brig.

Izayoi was standing at a safe distance from the prisoner while Palom had clearly been taunting him until a moment before, without much luck.

"We're taking him to the deck." Edge ordered stiffly, worry twisting in his stomach.

Izayoi raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"Bit of fresh air and whatever Rydia's planning." he whispered while Palom undid the knots.

" _What_?  You can't be serious. She's terrified of him! You can't let him near her." she hissed.

"I know. She's the one who asked me to bring him up there." he growled, never taking his eyes off of Baigan.

Izayoi pressed her lips together, clearly not convinced.

They escorted Baigan out in complete silence. Rydia was standing near the railing, whispering.

The man broke out in a large grin upon seeing her.

"Looking good over there." he whistled.

Palom smacked him over the head, not a hint of humour on his face.

"Lay off, you creep. You're, like, three times her age." he said darkly.

Rydia shivered slightly, but she didn't look at him.

Everyone stood in silence for a few moments while she kept whispering.

Suddenly she raised her hands in the air. Edge held his breath as he watched her trace beautiful and brilliant glyphs in the air. They were each a different colour, lighting up the air around them.

As she finished drawing them, they slowly floated away from the ship. When they reached a certain distance, they stopped, hovering silently over the water.

Soon, the ship was surrounded by eight shimmering glyphs.

Rydia breathed in, then pointed purposefully to one of them, the red one that looked like it was on fire.

" _Ifrit_." she commanded.

A loud roar tore through the air as the sigil shattered. A large claw punched through it and gripped the air around it. Then the snout of an enormous creature appeared, then the body. Within a few second a beast-like Eidolon had completely broken free from the glyph.

It just stood there, hovering in the air. Edge sucked in a breath and instinctively averted his gaze.

Rydia moved on to a white glyph, then to a yellow one and so on, naming her Eidolons one by one.

" _Shiva_. _Ramuh_. _Titan. Mist Dragon_." her words rang loud and clear in the stunned silence around her. Her voice only wavered on the last name and she paused a bit when a majestic silver dragon appeared from the sigil.

She bowed her head when she called " _Asura_ " and " _Leviathan_ ", summoning a terrifying three-headed woman and an enormous sea serpent.

The black one was the last one remaining. Rydia took a deep breath and knelt down.

" _Bahamut_." she whispered.

Edge had already seen the Hallowed Father of Eidolons once, but it didn't stop him from feeling again that mixture of awe and terror in front of the indescribable being.

Rydia smiled at her Eidolons, who now were slightly transparent figures floating around the ship.

She turned towards Baigan, eyes steely and laser-focused, and said nothing.

The man was frozen, staring wide-eyed at the creatures in front of him.

"This is what she's capable of." whispered Leonora.

Baigan swallowed hard as Bahamut looked at him directly in the eyes. Then, he nodded.

Edge sighed in relief and turned to Palom.

"Back to the brig. Leonora, please set up the thing we talked about earlier. I'll be right there."

As soon as Baigan was gone, Rydia let out a shaky breath. She turned to her Eidolons and bowed. Then, she said something Edge didn't catch and waved her hand in the air. The Eidolons disappeared in bright and colourful cascades of sparks.

Edge walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. She jumped a bit, then turned to him and smiled nervously.

"There you go. Cracked." she said.

Edge smiled back.

"That was incredible, Rydia. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes." she breathed, closing her eyes "As long as I never have to see that man again, I'll be fine."

Edge frowned.

"You know, that was really impressive. I thought you could only summon an Eidolon at a time." he said, squeezing her shoulder.

Rydia smiled.

"That's right. I didn't summon then, just now. Those were only their images. It's fairly easy to do, so I figured I could go all out and show them all off. Although, Bahamut would probably have been enough to scare him into talking." she rambled, gesturing absentmindedly.

Edge laughed heartily.

"That sounds exactly like something I'd do to show off. We might actually have something in common, you know?" he joked.

"I have to go downstairs now. You rest up and don't worry about Baigan." he said, letting go of her shoulder.

She nodded and smiled as he disappeared in the brig.

Leonora was just finishing up the second pentagram, a little larger than the first. Baigan was still shaking, tied up to his post.

Edge planted himself in front of him, his best glare on his face.

"Now, let's try this again."

 

 

A little over a hour later Edge stormed back on deck, nursing a bruised hand and cursing under his breath. Leonora followed him, a little unsteady on her feet and leaning heavily on Palom, who was also swearing up a storm.

Rydia and Zangetsu looked up from the table, where the older man had been teaching her how to chart a course.

"What... happened?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Edge punched Baigan in the face." Palom said, helping Leonora sit down on a bench, while Edge marched straight to the spyglass and snapped it open.

"And that bastard works for Golbez." the captain muttered, scanning the horizon.

"What?" Izayoi exclaimed, slamming her hands on the railing.

"Yup, there it is." Edge said, pointing to something only he could see through the spyglass.

"Golbez's ship."

Rydia dropped her compass.

"What should we do now?" she asked in a small voice.

Edge snapped the spyglass shut.

"We can outrun them to Fabul. Then... Then we'll figure something out. Izzy, Palom, come with me for a second."

He marched to his cabin, the other two close on his heels.

Once the door was closed, Edge took a deep breath.

"We need to leave Rydia in Fabul. She's been targeted and I don't want to have to explain to her brother that I let her get hurt." he blurted.

" _What_?" Izayoi exclaimed.

Palom crossed his arms.

"That's just dumb. She can handle herself better than you can. Baigan was a surprise attack, she wouldn't have been that easy to restrain if it had been a normal battle." he argued.

"Also," Izayoi added "you would go insane worrying about her. I really think you should reconsider."

"This is not a negotiation." Edge said sternly "This is me asking you how to pull it off."

"And this is your friends telling you this is a terrible idea." Izayoi countered "Besides, what are you gonna do, just abandon her there? Alone?"

Edge took a deep breath.

"I'll need to come out to the King and ask him to keep her safe."

Palom gaped.

"Are you insane? The whole reason you're even a pirate is to hide your identity and now you plan on giving it away willy-nilly to protect someone who doesn't need protecting?"

"Edge, if it weren't for her, you would have been killed by that Kraken and we wouldn't have found out that Baigan worked for Golbez. We need her. I'm not saying she should join the crew, but-"

"Screw it." Palom cut Izayoi off "I'm saying it. Rydia should join the crew. She's incredible and you know it." he poked his captain in the chest.

"I know that." Edge snapped, swatting Palom's hand away "That's why I can't afford to lose her."

Izayoi huffed.

"Look, you don't need to lie to us or yourself. You like her- _save it_." she snapped when Edge opened his mouth to protest, "You like her and you're okay with leaving her behind in Fabul? With no way of knowing she's gonna be okay? You're a weird one."

Edge clenched his jaw.

"Don't challenge me on this, Izzy. Fine, I like her, and that's exactly why I'm going to send her as far away from danger as possible, as far away from _me_ as possible. Dismissed." he muttered.

"This is a mistake, Edge." warned Izayoi, walking outside.

"Also, you made this no fun at all. You were supposed to freak out a little bit when you realized you had a crush on Rydia." snickered Palom, closing the door behind him.

Edge bit his lower lip and flopped unceremoniously on his cot, slipping in a dreamless sleep a few minutes later.

 

 

The following two days Edge avoided Rydia as much as he could. He only spoke to her once or twice when he had no other choice and spent most of his time working on anything and everything that needed to be done, keeping himself busy.

More than a few times he felt multiple pairs of eyes following him: Izayoi's disapproving gaze, Palom's amused one and Rydia's worried one, but he never faced them back.

The night before their arrival to Fabul Edge heard a faint knock on his door. He hastily hid the bottle of whiskey before Izayoi could nag him for drinking a bit too much, then he sat down on a chair and braced himself.

Rydia timidly opened the door and slid inside the cabin.

"Hey." she waved a little.

"Hey." he waved back, already regretting the alcohol as he struggled to focus on her.

She cocked an eyebrow.

"Are you drunk?"

"Nah. Jus' tipsy." Edge had always taken pride in being a great liar.

She hummed, unconvinced, and sat down on the stool beside his cot.

"I'm worried about you." she said simply, hugging his jacket closer to herself.

Edge blinked.

"You've been avoiding me and you barely speak with Izayoi and Palom. Did something happen?"

"You happ'n'd." he slurred.

She winced.

"Me? But-"

"You. You stow'd away on the ship an' you were obnoxious and commandin' an' not at all pretty. But then you became softer an' you smil'd mor' an' you were so good at magic. An' you weren't a royal pain anymore an' I got worried you'd get hurt. An' now you worry about me an' you're kind an' brave an' not not at all pretty an' I dunno what to do anymore."

Rydia stood there, silently listening to his drunken ramblings while he slouched further and further in his chair.

Edge closed his eyes and took a deep breath. She was the one who wouldn't remember anything the following day anyway, right?

"An' now you're gonna think I'm an idiot because you can take care of yourself but I worry anyway." he muttered to the ceiling.

"Oh, I'm not gonna think that, believe me." Rydia chuckled "I think it's sweet."

"But you'll hate me tomorrow." Edge whispered.

"What? Why would I hate you? Is that why you've been avoiding me?"

Edge swiftly retrieved his bottle and took a long swig.

"Nah. Tha's 'cause Palom and Izzy like you." he said, shrugging, before furrowing his brows "Tha's not right."

Rydia reached for the bottle.

"I think you've had enough." she said, but Edge snatched it away from her hands.

"Don't try it. I'm your cap'n." he slurred.

"But I'm not part of your crew." she laughed.

"You are not, tha's right. But I am your cap'n an' I order you to hate me. Tomorrow you will anyway."

"Edge, I'm not gonna hate you." protested Rydia.

"Yes you are." he said, getting up to flung himself on the cot "But you're not gonna remember anything tomorrow anyway, so."

"I think you got that the other way around." she mused, taking the bottle and putting it far out of his reach.

"Maybe. But you like me, so." Edge was now on the verge of sleep, talking through alcohol and dreams.

Rydia smiled, flushing a lovely shade of pink.

"I do, but don't push your luck." she ruffled his hair a bit and vanished.

Or maybe she walked out, Edge wasn't sure. But Rydia was incredible like that and she could vanish if she wanted to. So there.

 

 

Edge vowed for what had to be the fiftieth time in his life to never touch alcohol again. He had a fantastic hangover and he could recall nothing from the night before. Zero. Blackout.

He groaned and pressed his palms to his eyes. When he opened them again, there was a steaming mug of something on the chart table in front of him.

He looked up and found Rydia's smiling face.

"Hangover potion. Figured you might need it." she chuckled.

Edge gratefully took the mug and drank a sip of potion. It tasted like biscuits and he felt the headache lessen a bit.

He looked up to her again.

"How did you know?" he asked.

Rydia looked crestfallen for a second, but recovered quickly.

"I came into your cabin last night. Don't you remember?"

Edge shook his head, a bad move considering the hangover.

"Not one bit. Did I... say anything weird?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

He didn't miss Rydia's hesitation before she cheerfully shook her head with a "Nope, just mindless ramblings.", but he decided to let it go.

"So, um, what did you need last night?"

"I just wanted to chat for a bit, but you aren't much fun when you're drunk."

"Well, sorry about that, princess. Now-" he cut himself off.

Now wasn't the time to joke and laugh with her. She was going to leave in a few hours and hate him forever.

"Now?" she asked, puzzled.

"Now go see if Izzy needs help with something, I'm busy here." he said stiffly.

Rydia eyed dubiously his cluttered desk, but walked away.

Edge put his head onto the table. He sighed deeply, then felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Gekkou, smiling benevolently down at him.

"What is it?" Edge mumbled.

"Master, I think you should be more honest with Lady Rydia." the large man cut straight to the point.

"Nope. I'm a dishonest man. I lie and hide, that's just what I do." said Edge, lifting a finger up in the air.

Gekkou sighed.

"I tried. One should always be truthful with the ones he loves." he mused.

"I don't love her, alright? I just-" Edge squeaked.

"Have a crush?"

"Exactly. This is stupid, crushes are like colds."

"How so?" Gekkou chuckled, crossing his arms.

"They both come and go as they please, they are a massive distraction and they can range from mildly annoying to making you want to commit murder." Edge counted on his fingers.

"I see. On that scale, where do you place yours?"

"Way off scale on the murder side." Edge said, shaking his head before stopping in his tracks.

"Uh, I mean- I-" he scrambled.

"No need." Gekkou waved dismissively.

"Go pull yourself together. We're almost to Fabul, but I beg you to reconsider what you're about to do." the large man said, a hand on Edge's shoulder.

"Dismissed." he said coldly, shrugging it off.

Gekkou sighed deeply, but walked away nonetheless.

Edge ran his hands over his face, groaning softly.

 

 

"Alright." Edge said to his crew when they docked in Fabul.

"We have a few errands to run. Izzy, Gekkou, get that psychopath to a healing house and alert the guards. Palom and Leonora, supplies. Zangetsu, write down what repairs we need to do and take Tsukinowa to get materials. Rydia, you come with me."

Everyone nodded and spread out to their duties.

Edge sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Rydia cleared her throat, next to him.

"Hm?"

"Ready to go? What do we need to do?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

"I need to talk with the King." Edge said, starting to walk.

Rydia hurried to catch up to him.

"The King? Why?"

"You'll see when we get there." he answered, hoping his voice didn't give anything away.

The short walk from the harbour to the palace was silent. Edge could feel Rydia's worried and puzzled gaze, but he couldn't muster up the courage to just chat with someone he was about to betray.

They were let in the castle with little fuss and before too long they were announced to the King.

In the waiting room, Edge was fidgeting with his shirt.

He felt a hand on his own.

"Everything's gonna be fine." Rydia smiled.

However, Edge didn't look at her or return her smile. He squeezed her hand for the briefest moment before remembering his place and letting go.

He heard Rydia's sigh and it took way more willpower than he had expected not to grab her and sprint out of the castle. But he had to make sure she was safe.

The doors to the audience chamber opened and a guard motioned for them to come inside.

The King was sitting on his throne, a curious expression on his face. As Edge entered the room, his eyes opened in surprise.

"You-"

"Your Majesty." Edge cut him off with a warning tone "Would you mind if I asked for a private audience?" He said, bowing deeply and looking at the few monks in the room.

The King nodded slowly and gestured to the guards. They saluted respectfully and left the room in a straight line.

As soon as they were gone, Edge sighed in relief.

"So, I-" now it was his turn to be interrupted by a crushing hug.

"Ah, Edward! It's been so long since I've last seen you! What were you, fifteen?"

"Oof- Yang! You're- ugh, let me-" Edge choked, trapped in the huge man's grip.

He heard Rydia's amused chuckle somewhere behind him.

"Oh, right, right." the King set him on the ground and allowed him a few deep breaths.

"Ah, look at you! You've grown so much! How old are you again?"

"Twenty-two, but-" Edge was cut off again, this time by a smack to the head.

"That's way too old to just run off to have adventures without telling anyone!" Yang scolded him, now completely serious.

"Your parents have been worried sick. What were you thinking?"

"Hey, I didn't want to leave, but they had Marian and Lavinia and- you know what? Story for another time. Just don't ever tell my parents you saw me, okay?"

Yang looked taken aback.

"But-"

"Promise me." Edge said, steely gaze focused on the King.

"I... Alright." he murmured.

Edge sighed in relief.

"Why are you here, then?" Yang asked, heading back to his throne.

"I need your help. This girl is Lady Rydia, Princess of Baron." he said, gesturing to her.

Yang just nodded.

"Yes, Cecil has written to me about you a few times. Fiery one, eh?" he smiled at Rydia, who just bowed her head sheepishly.

"As you may know, Queen Rosa has been kidnapped by a sea lord called Golbez. Long story short, I have been hired to rescue her and Rydia stowed away on my ship. However, we've found out that Golbez knows she's with us and has already sent an agent to use her life as a bargaining chip." Edge explained quickly, forcing himself not to look at Rydia.

Yang was focused but not shocked. King Cecil must have told him everything already. He only sucked in a sharp breath at the last part.

"I..." Edge hesitated.

"I want to ask you to keep her here, safe. Please." he said in a strangled voice.

There was a moment of silence when Edge screwed his eyes shut as if in pain, bracing himself for the yelling and spellcasting that Rydia would inevitably throw his way.

"What?" came instead her whisper, small and pitifully broken.

Edge sucked in a sharp breath, the unexpected fragility in her voice hitting him like a punch in the stomach.

Yang nodded.

"Alright. I will arrange for you to stay here as soon as possible."

"No, wait!" Rydia cried out.

Edge was still not looking at her, eyes fixed instead on the floor.

"Edge, why? I- I can help you! Please, don't leave me behind, please!" she sobbed, tugging on his arm.

"It's- I don't want to see you get hurt." he whispered.

"But I won't! I promised you, remember?"

"Don't make promises you can't keep. You'll be safe here. We'll take care of Golbez."

"That's not it." she said quietly.

Edge finally turned to look at her. There were tears in her eyes, a sight that he wasn't prepared to face.

"What if something happens to any of you and I can't do anything about it? What if Leonora or Tsukinowa or Izayoi get hurt and I'm just sitting here, useless? What if you get hurt?" she said, staring straight into his eyes.

"We'll be fine. It's part of the job. But you were never meant to be in danger." he whispered, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face.

"Edge, please! I want to help you! I'm strong enough." she pleaded, gripping his hand desperately.

Edge gently pried away her fingers one by one.

"I know. I'm the one who's not strong enough."

He took a few steps away from her trembling figure and looked at Yang.

"Edward-"

"Thank you, Yang. Take care of her." he bowed his head and turned away to get out of the room.

"Edge!" Rydia cried after him.

When he looked at her, she was sobbing, tears streaming down her face and trembling violently. Yang had a hand on her shoulder to stop her from running away.

"Goodbye, Rydia." he whispered, turning away.

As he closed the door behind him, he leaned onto it. He could still hear Rydia's broken sobs and half formed pleas for him to come back.

He let out a shaky breath and marched away, rubbing furiously at his eyes with his arm.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun was disappearing over the horizon, red light setting the sea on fire. The Aurora was sailing west, towards Golbez's hideout that King Cecil's informants had pointed out.

Edge was laying sprawled on the crow's nest, a book abandoned by his side.

He was staring up at the sky and fiddling absentmindedly with his earrings.

He was just beginning to doze off when he heard soft noises nearing him. Izayoi's head popped up over the railing as she hopped into the crow's nest.

"So," she began, and Edge winced, "happy with yourself?"

"Izzy, would you kindly get lost?"

She sat down next to him instead. Edge huffed and scooted over a bit.

"You seem to think this was fun for me. But it was the right thing to do, okay?"

Izzy shook her head.

"I know you think it is, but it wasn't fair to her. She's in charge of her life, not you."

"I know that. I was worried, okay?"

They stayed silent for a moment.

"It hasn't sunk in that she's not here anymore, y'know? I guess... I don't know, I think some part of me expected her to put up a fight or stow away again or something. But... She seemed so broken and betrayed." Edge whispered, looking into the void.

"I did wonder how you survived that. But now I'm even more certain that you screwed up." said Izayoi, shaking her head.

Edge looked at her.

"She trusted you and you threw that trust down a river. It's gonna take a lot of time and effort to win it back."

Edge let out a hollow laugh.

"Don't worry about it. I really don't think I'll ever see her again. Or that she'd want to."

Izzy shrugged, getting up.

"Life finds a way, Edge. Now, stop moping and get down for dinner." she said, hopping back on the shrouds.

Edge waved at her and got up himself. He looked over his shoulder, towards Fabul, one last time before getting out of the crow's nest and climbing down to the deck.

 

 

He supposed it made sense for a dangerous pirate hideout to be in a place called Chocobo Island. No one would have suspected a thing.

According to Gekkou, they were only half a day out before they got close enough for lookouts to spot the _Aurora_. Edge fiddled with the small roll of parchment in his pocket. King Cecil's informants had decided not to reveal to him the location of the Crystal.

 

_"We can't be sure Golbez doesn't know of your mission anymore." one of them had said, "I think it would be best if we deployed guards to the hiding place while you pretend to have stolen the location."_

It made sense. He should have been relieved, he was no longer responsible for one for the most powerful artifacts on the Blue Planet. But Edge was anxious. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to go horribly wrong.

"You're angsting."

Edge blinked himself out of his thoughts and turned to Palom.

"I'm sorry, I'm _what_?"

The younger boy chuckled and hoisted himself up on the railing next to him.

"Moping. Over-worrying. Brooding."

"I think the Seneschal would give an arm and a leg to see me worrying about something. But, honestly, can you blame me?"

"A little bit." Palom hopped down and faced him.

"I still think you shouldn't go."

Edge sighed.

"And I still think I can handle myself. Plus, Izzy and Gekkou are going too." he said, running a hand through his already messy hair.

"Yeah, but they aren't the disappeared crown prince of Eblan." Palom crossed his arms.

Edge's expression softened a bit.

"Would it make you feel better if I promised to wear a mask?"

The boy huffed.

"Don't treat me like a child. If someone recognizes you, it's your family that's in danger."

Edge stood silent for a moment.

"I know that." he said in a low voice.

Palom leaned on the railing.

"Then be careful."

 

 

They hoisted a white flag as soon as Chocobo Island appeared on the horizon. It wasn't long until they ran into a blockade of ships with dark hulls and sails. They approached slowly until the commander of the nearest ship fired a warning shot in the air. When they got near enough, the commander and a few other men boarded the _Aurora_. Edge stood on deck, stance firm but relaxed and a black mask covering his hair and his face from the nose down. He couldn't hide his eyes too, but he hoped they wouldn't be a giveaway.

"State your intentions." Golbez's commander said stiffly.

"We come to bargain." Edge responded, in his best royal voice, "But I would rather speak with Lord Golbez himself."

He kind of hated himself for having to use that title, but it was necessary.

"Very well. Your ship and crew may wait here."

Edge heard someone - probably Izzy - suck in a sharp breath, but nodded and followed the commander onto his ship and then into a longboat. He was silent during the ride, feeling the other pirates' hard gazes on him.

Golbez's stronghold was built around a set of deep caves that had been fortified enough to function as bunkers. The commander and his escorts guided him through an intricate maze of corridors and passageways. A couple of times, Edge noticed rock formations appearing again after a while. They were trying to make him lose track of the way, he realized. Well, joke's on them: he hadn't been trying to memorize it in the first place. After all, his task ended with Queen Rosa safe on his ship, not with a full attack.

After what felt like an eternity, he found himself in front of a small door in the rock wall.

"He awaits." the commander said.

Edge nodded slightly, then opened the door.

The room was fairly spacious, but almost empty. The torches on the stone walls cast harsh shadows on the single desk in the center and on the man behind it.

Golbez was a large man in full dark armor decorated with gold wires all over. When he lifted his head, Edge found he couldn't even read his body language, stiff and rigid as the deep voice that echoed inside the room.

"Who might you be?"

Edge wanted to snort. _Politeness_?

"My name is Captain Edge, and I come to bargain."

 

 

Golbez seemed to listen intently to Edge's lies about an old grudge against King Cecil and his plan to torment the man by making his wife disappear. Whether or not he believed them, well, that was another question entirely.

"I can certainly empathize with your reasons." Golbez said afterwards, "However, you must understand that I cannot give up Queen Rosa to you. I'd lose my leverage. You see, I need something from King Cecil and he needs to be properly motivated." he explained, turning back to his papers.

Edge chuckled darkly.

"Oh, I know exactly what you need from him. And I can give it to you."

Golbez's head shot up.

 

 

A few minutes later, Edge was being escorted somewhere. Golbez had whispered something to his lackey and he hadn't been able to catch it. His eyes darted to the sides, scanning his surroundings. His ninja alarm had been going off nonstop since he left Golbez's office, but the narrow corridor didn't have escape routes nor room to fight.

Edge's escorts stopped in front of a dead end. The leader stepped forward and pushed something on the wall. There was a faint rumbling noise as the hidden door slid down.

Edge only had a moment to notice a woman shooting up from a desk before he was shoved inside and the passage closed.

"Are you okay?" the woman asked, kneeling down to his side.

"Yeah, yeah..." he answered, rubbing his left elbow.

He slowly got up, taking in the small cell and the woman beside him. She had honey blonde hair, warm brown eyes and she was dressed in white and gold, however dirty her clothes might have been.

"Queen Rosa?"

She nodded, getting up and dusting her skirt.

"Yes. May I ask who you are?"

"Edge. I'm a corsair, your husband sent me to save you, but..." he trailed off.

The Queen nodded, sitting back down and clasping her hands in her lap.

"Golbez is an untrusting man. I'm not surprised he didn't believe you." she said in a small voice.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty."

She shook your head.

"It's okay. I'm worried, though. About what Cecil will have to do to get us out of here. Oh, and Rydia! Please, let her be safe and not do something reckless." she murmured.

Edge scratched the back of his head, averting his gaze.

"Yeah, about that..." he started.

The Queen's head shot up.

"Rydia- The princess has already done something very reckless. She stowed away on my ship."

"What?! You mean she's here?" she shrieked, jumping up.

"No, no, she's in Fabul. I left her with King Yang before coming here."

The Queen cocked her head to the side.

"And she _let_ you do that?"

Edge winced.

"I might have had to destroy any trust she had in me and trick her into coming to the palace. I... I thought she would put up a fight, but she didn't." he said softly.

The Queen nodded.

"I see."

Then they both went quiet for a while.

Hours later, the door to the cell was still stubbornly shut. Edge had tried everything he knew to get it to open, with no luck. He hadn't left instructions for the crew in case something like this happened. What he hoped was that they would have the sense to get the hell out of there before something worse went down. What he expected was that they would do something brave but very very stupid like trying to break into the stronghold. What he never would have seen coming was the cell door busting open and revealing a young girl in a fighting stance.

She was small and kind of familiar. Edge was sure he had seen her blonde hair and amber eyes somewhere, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

The Queen gasped.

"Ursula?"

The girl winced and put a finger to her lips.

"Come on, there's no time!" she whisper-yelled, which was kind of pointless since she had just destroyed a steel door and the noise was still echoing through the tunnels.

However, Edge had never seen much point in turning down help out of a dangerous situation, so he grabbed Queen Rosa's hand and towed her behind the girl. She seemed to know where she was going, confidently turning at every fork.

When they got outside, Edge realized that it was already night. The girl lead them in the dark towards a longboat and jumped inside. Two Fabulian monks were waiting for them and started rowing as soon as the Queen sat down.

Edge sighed deeply and tugged down his mask, then he looked at the girl catching her breath.

"Thank you for busting us out." he said.

She flicked her hair out of her face and smiled.

"Ursula, what are you doing here?" Queen Rosa asked, a concerned expression on her face.

The girl twirled a strand of her hair between her fingers.

"I'm helping a friend and saving you two. Now we have to get away from here before Golbez finds out you’re gone."

Edge cocked his head to the side.

"Who-"

"Edge!" Izayoi's voice cut through the silence, followed by footsteps.

He hadn't noticed they were getting near to the _Aurora_ , having slipped unnoticed past the blockade. He scaled the rope ladder and jumped on deck just before getting an armful of Leonora.

"Hey, hey... I'm okay, don't worry." he murmured, awkwardly patting her shoulders.

She let him go, eyes dry but worried Edge looked around: he was surrounded by the relieved faces of his crew, but Palom was nowhere to be seen. Izayoi punched him in the shoulder.

"Don't say it." he sighed, "I'm an idiot."

Izzy chuckled.

"Glad we're on the same page. Palom's on the other ship, talking to the captain. He looked upset."

Edge winced.

"Yeah... He thought I shouldn't have gone."

Izayoi offered a sympathetic pat on his shoulder and then gestured to a wooden plank between the two ships.

Edge crossed it and hopped on deck, wary. He couldn't make out the name of the ship in the dark, but he saw that it was Fabulian in style. The two ships started sailing silently away from the isle, in the same direction. There were no people on deck, but he heard voices coming from the captain's cabin, one of which sounded a lot like Palom in a shouting match. He quietly made his way to the door and knocked firmly, steadying himself for whoever was behind it. The voices died down immediately and the door opened.

It was a girl with pink hair and a round face that Edge had never seen before. She waved briefly, then turned back with a scowl on her face. In that moment, she looked identical to Palom. The boy himself stood against a wall, arms crossed and eyes darting between the girl and a spot Edge couldn't see.

Palom's face lit up when he saw Edge and he crossed the cabin in a few long strides, shoving the girl to the side. He punched him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I deserved that." said Edge, rubbing the sore spot.

"Yeah, you did." the boy agreed, then he chuckled under his breath and smiled.

"Anyway, this is my twin sister, Porom." he gestured to the girl to his left.

 _Sounds about right_ , Edge thought as she walked over to where he was standing by the door to stiffly shake his hand.

Porom smiled a bit. She looked irked for some reason. Palom was still trying to stifle his laughter.

"And- Oh you're not gonna believe this." he said, pointing to the side of the cabin Edge hadn't seen yet.

He cautiously stepped into the room. And, yeah, he couldn't believe what he saw.

Arms crossed, stance firm but stiff, wearing Edge's jacket, stood Rydia.

The room was completely silent for a moment. Edge heard footsteps behind him, signaling the hushed exit of the twins. Then, Rydia took a deep breath and stared him square in the eyes.

"I want to know why you did it."

Edge ran a hand over his face, trying to hide the fact that it was trembling.

"I told you. I couldn't bear to see you get hurt."

Rydia scowled.

"You know full well I can handle myself. Why won't you let me?"

"It's not that." he said in a small voice.

"Then what is it?" she snarled, going all up in his personal space and poking him in the chest, "Is it because of my brother? The Eidolons? Do you just hate me?"

At that, Edge caught her hands.

" _No_. I absolutely, one hundred percent do not hate you. Never think that."

Now her eyes were shimmering with unshed tears. Edge felt the same pain in his chest he had felt when she started crying back in Fabul.

"Then why?" she whispered.

Edge closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"When Baigan had you, back on the ship, you almost died. I couldn't do anything and you were almost gone. I'd rather not having you in my life at all than losing you like that. I know you can handle yourself, but I don't want you to have to. You're amazing and too important to get hurt. I couldn't bear to see you like that again. I'm... I'm not strong enough." he said, softly stroking her hands.

Rydia fell silent for a moment.

"And what about me?" she said in a small voice.

Edge looked at her questioningly.

"What if I found out any of you had died? I told you before, you're not the only one who would feel helpless. I care too much about you to let you get hurt." she whispered.

Edge opened his mouth to retort, then he closed it. He wondered vaguely if she was still talking about the whole crew.

"I'm sorry. I really am, Rydia. I couldn't even look you in the eye when I betrayed your trust." he murmured back.

She chuckled a little under her breath and took a step away from him.

"You should be. I'm still mad at you."

"So mad that you stowed up on _another_ ship to come yell at me." Edge smirked.

Rydia raised an eyebrow.

"What makes you think I stowed away?" she chirped.

Edge blinked.

"Well, how else would you be here?"

She laughed out loud and, Crystals, had he missed that sound.

"Say I were to know someone very influential in Fabul, someone who could get me a ship and a crew to help me get here. Would that explain it?" she smiled.

Edge stared at her for a moment. Rydia held his gaze before laughing again and shaking her head.

"Okay, so she didn't get me a ship and a crew, but she came with me to commandeer one." she held her hands up.

"You... commandeered a ship. Alone. And sailed all the way out here." Edge repeated slowly.

"Not alone! Ursula was with me. She's the girl who busted you out and the princess of Fabul."

Edge pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Princess of- _Yang's daughter_?" he exclaimed, eyes wide.

Rydia nodded and twirled a strand of hair between two fingers. Edge sighed.

"You are really something. How are you not ruling the world yet?"

She chuckled.

"Not interested. I might be very interested in keeping this ship though, I really do enjoy being a captain."

"Oh, no you don't. You're going back to Baron first so your brother won't kill me, then you're free to do whatever you like. I want no part in this." he said, waving his hands in the air.

She stroked her chin thoughtfully, then she gestured to her cot and sat down. Edge sat next to her and they stayed silent for a bit.

"What are you going to do now?" she asked.

"Don't know. A bit of honest pirating, probably." he shrugged.

"And..." she hesitated, "What about your family?"

Edge winced, then ran a hand over his face.

"I'm working on it. For now, my parents are still on the throne and my sisters are safe. The only way might be to snuff the rebel clans out from the inside, but..." he trailed off.

Rydia squeezed lightly one of his hands.

"If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know." she smiled.

"I will." he squeezed back.

 

 

Edge fell asleep late, still in Rydia's cabin. They had chatted into the night, hushed tones and secretive smiles. She's dozed off on his shoulder around three, her soft hair tickling his jaw. His last conscious thought was that maybe he was falling into a black hole, but he didn't mind as long as she was with him.

Come morning, Edge was upset but not very surprised to wake up in his own bed, his ship sailing aimlessly in the ocean. Rubbing his eyes, he walked over to the crew's quarters and knocked lightly on Izayoi's door. She opened it after a moment, eyes still heavy with sleep.

"Did you know you were drugged, Izzy?" he groaned.

"Figured as much. The sun is way too high." she yawned.

"Is the Queen there?" Edge asked.

She peeked inside the room, then nodded.

"Alright. Wake the others up, we sail back to Baron." he ordered, turning to walk away.

"And Rydia?" called Izzy.

"Long gone. Let's go." he said, not even bothering to hide the bitter note in his voice.

Izayoi nodded silently, then disappeared back into the room.

Edge made his way back to his cabin. After he shut the door behind him, he noticed two notes on his desk that hadn't been there the night before.

One was a letter addressed to King Cecil, the other was a simple note for him.

 

_Edge,_

_sorry about the way we ran off, I couldn't let Rosa see me. She would never have let me go. Please pass my letter on to Cecil, I explained the situation to him so you won't be in trouble. As for me, I'm off gathering my own crew, whether you like it or not. I'm sure we will meet again but, until then, try to stay alive._

_Rydia_

Edge smiled and folded the note carefully, then he put it in his pocket.

"Until we meet again, then."

**Author's Note:**

> Boy, this has been a long time coming. I'm pretty satisfied with how it turned out, are any of you?  
> I have a short Edge/Rydia fic planned for the (hopefully) near future, then I'm gonna get to the third and final part of the Pirate AU that started with "Until we meet again".  
> Hope you enjoyed!


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